The present invention relates to a fastener for attaching a curtain airbag to a vehicle.
So-called curtain airbags are known which are arranged in the roof lining of a vehicle and extend in a crash are deployed along the sides of the vehicle, so that the occupants of the vehicle are protected from injuries which can arise from the impact of a body part, in particular the head, against the side structure of the vehicle. The lower corners of this type of curtain airbag, in particular the corner arranged at the front in the vehicle, are connected to a fastener via a cord or string, whereby the airbag, the string and the fastener form a unit. The fastener locks into a recess of the vehicle. By a suitable mechanism, it can be ensured that the curtain airbag is sufficiently tensioned and for instance an arm or head of a vehicle occupant can be prevented from being caught between the airbag and the side structure of the vehicle.
The fasteners can, however, be damaged before or during the installation of the curtain airbag, which leads to the entire airbag being no longer usable and having to be discarded.
There is provided In accordance with the invention a fastener for fastening a curtain airbag to a vehicle comprising: a pair of opposed lateral walls and a top side and a bottom side, means for locking the fastener to a vehicle, in particular in a recess in a vehicle part in a detachable manner; and a means for clamping in which a tether can be arranged in a detachable manner and in a secure position with relation to the fastener
Since the fastener can be secured in a detachable manner to a tether of a curtain airbag the fastener can be attached to the curtain airbag just before or during the installation in the vehicle. The risk of damaging the fastener during preparatory work before the installation of the curtain airbag is reduced. If the fastener is damaged at this stage a faulty fastener can easily be replaced. The position of the fastener in relation to the curtain airbag can be varied according to vehicle type.